Richmond vs. Iowa Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
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Jeremy Perry
The Richmond Spiders stole an NCAA Tournament bid – that doesn’t mean they didn’t earn it, but it does mean they took a bid away from another team which would have been in the NCAA Tournament had the Spiders not gained an automatic bid by winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Richmond beat Dayton in the Atlantic 10 semifinals to knock the Flyers out of the preferred bubble position, and then won the A-10 final against Davidson to ensure that Dayton became the first team out rather than the last team in the field of 68. Richmond prepares for an NCAA Tournament game against the Iowa Hawkeyes, who won the Big Ten Tournament.
Richmond vs. Iowa NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Richmond is playing their fourth game in seven days and oddly enough, has covered six straight in that spot. They are also 6-1 ATS in their last seven as a neutral site dog.
The Hawkeyes are 6-1 in their last seven overall and against teams with a winning record. They are also 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 as a neutral-site favorite.
Richmond Spiders (12)
The Spiders struggled for much of the season, and they even struggled early in the Atlantic 10 Tournament against the Rhode Island Rams. They fell behind by 14 points and seemed to be done for the season. Yet, they rallied and won, and they never looked back after that, winning three more games to capture the Atlantic 10 Tournament championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The main thing you need to know about this Richmond team is that it has four seniors who came back for this season to make the NCAA Tournament. The journey was difficult, but the Spiders got there in the end. This is a team which will take this occasion seriously and cherish it as a big reward for a lot of hard work and sacrifice.
Iowa Hawkeyes (5)
The Iowa Hawkeyes are a team which rates highly in a lot of analytical metrics. They have become a popular dark-horse pick in the Midwest Region as some commentators have remarked in recent days that Iowa is the best team in the Big Ten or – if not that – the Big Ten team with the best chance of making a deep March run. This is based on the Hawkeyes’ potent offense, which can catch fire and become extremely dangerous. They rank second in the KenPom Adjusted Offensive Efficiency metric. This is also based on an awareness that Keegan Murray is a legitimate star in college basketball and can become the kind of player who carries a team on his back in March.
The Hawkeyes won the Big Ten Tournament by beating Rutgers, Indiana, and Purdue, all NCAA Tournament teams. Murray is the star, but Jordan Bohannon is a key role player and 3-point shooter. If defenses try to take away Murray, Bohannon will need to step up and hit shots. Iowa also has to be able to perform at an average or slightly above average standard on defense. Iowa’s defense was crushed by Oregon in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Iowa relies on its offense, but the Hawkeyes need to get enough from their defense in order to play their best. Ultimately, Iowa has enough firepower to win this game, but the defense isn’t strong enough to blow out Richmond.
RICH
IOWA